Growing Darkness
by funkypudding
Summary: Sequel to The Moon Legacy. The Battle of Manhattan has shaken up the Hunters. Deaths and betrayals have hurt them more then they are letting on. Some of their worlds are about to be shaken even more as a new demigod group emerges, one that one girl already knows about. The Hunters face even more dangers as their leader disappears, leaving them on their own to fend off the world.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the sequel to The Moon Legacy so if you haven't read that, read it first. Then come back and read this. Everyone else: this is what you've been waiting for: Growing Darkness(:**

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The jazzy elevator music does not help or mood as we descend from Olympus. Kit's wheelchair takes up half the space but we all manage. We are missing two from today to help compensate for the size of the wheelchair. Nobody talks as we exit the elevator. The foot man is not there to greet us. He fled when Kronos came. He got out while he had a chance. I wish I could have had the chance to know that Jewel was a traitor. I wish Lavender could have had that chance to flee death. But that would mean Lilac would be gone right now. I would never wish for one Hunter over another. Especially for one that's dead. We planted her at my mansion on Olympus. Now I will have a nice lavender plant and maybe a new nymph to keep Electra company. Phoebe almost seems to breath easier when we get outside the Empire State Building. Her silvery aura that marks her as one of my Hunters is still tinged purple. Our real colors are usually shown on Olympus. In Phoebe's case, that would be her Roman side. I push the thought out of my mind as the sharp pains of a migraine hit me again.

"Where are we going to go, Artemis?" Lilac asks, her newly found confidence making her voice project unwavering. It only happened yesterday, caused from our nymph, Lavender. Now Lilac is the only nymph left in the group.

"Somewhere safe and low key for now. To rest and really find out where we're going." I say. I didn't have to explain my real reason. Everyone already knew it. All our eyes turn to Kit, her head down shamefully. We don't need to figure out where we are going. We have to figure out what we are going to do about Kit and her . . .injury.

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Kit

After my arms tire from rolling my stupid wheelchair around all day, Izzy volunteers to push me. I hate it all. I hate not being able to walk, run, dance. I miss the freedom it gave me. I sulk in my chair as Izzy pushes me up the hill. Poor Izzy. WHen we finally stop in a small clearing for the night, Artemis has to create a tent over me and help me into a bed. I was an extremely independent person before my incident. I was a good little Hunter. Nicki had told me how well I was at fighting, which means a lot, considering her father and the fact that she is descended from the great warrior process Atalanta. Pretty impressive if you ask me. I lay in the bed, looking at my bow and quiver strapped to my chair. That stupid chair is my prison. I can easily be taken if an enemy attacked right now. I lift the blanket that covers my legs. Limp as usual. I try to move them with all my might but it doesn't work. Before Izzy and I joined Artemis, my daydream was to be safe from the monsters that followed us. Then as a Hunter, I dreamed of a perfect life of hunting monsters and nobody died. None of my wishing worked. And no matter how hard I try, I can't run away from my dream now. To fight alongside Artemis and the Hunters forever and not from that stupid wheelchair.

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**what did you think? I cant wait for next chapter!(: izzy and possibly harmony'S POV. see you then! (Btw, the typing may be messed up because it's off my phone :P)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Harmony and Izzy are in this chapter. I adore Harmony. She's one of my favorite Hunters as of now, besides Phoebe, she will always be my favorite(: I just have so many ideas for them both**

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Izzy

I sit outside Kit's tent. No matter what Artemis says, I will stand guard here. It's my fault she is in this predicament anyways. I should have been protecting her. That's why I joined with her and that's why I might pull her from the group and find some place to settle down. She's killing herself wanting to be a part of the group again. She feels that she's dead weight. Don't ask me how, but I just know. I also know that she might hate me if I take her away from this life, but I feel like she is just putting herself in danger here trying to be something that she simply can't be.

"I'm sorry, Kit, but I'm giving up on you." I whisper into the dark. I would have followed her to the ends of the earth, but now, I have to direct her on her way. I look around at the other tents pitched, the lights inside flickering out. Now I might have to say goodbye to them. They are almost as much sisters to me as Kit is. One of them is my family, too. Dani sleeps in the tent next to Kit's. Could I convince her to come with us? A cough from one of the tents interrupts my thoughts and the silence of the night.

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Harmony

I chug another glass of water. I'm so so so thirsty. I don't know why. The water is not quenching my thirst. I look out my tent into the silent night and cough when the fresh air hits my face. I need water _now. _I run out of my tent. Izzy guards Kit's tent, just like I would expect her to and Nicki sits at the edge of the clearing, watching the woods intently, like she was afraid Kronos himself was going to jump out at her. I stalk silently out of the camp as fast as I can. I tear through the trees until I come to it. A stream. I plunge into it. Even though it isn't deep and it's not salt water, it feels good. I haven't felt like this since the pool in Manhattan.

"Be careful, demigod. Your father knows you're here." I jump at the nymph's voice. A girl that has blue skin and silvery white hair, wears a flowing dress made of the soft grass that grows along the banks of the stream and sits on a nearby boulder. Another nymph materializes next to her, with light green skin and yellow hair braided with white lilies. She sits on the rock with the water nymph, her feet drifting in the lilies at her feet.

"What do you mean?" I ask, standing in the stream. The nymph looks upstream quickly and turns back to me.

"I feel his presence. He is almost here. Hurry, daughter of Triton, before he gets you." She says nervously. I drag myself out of the water and get ready to leave the small clearing when I turn to the nymphs. Something tells me they are not safe here with my father on his way.

"Come with me. You aren't safe here." The nymphs look at me and then glance at each other in surprise. "Lady Artemis could protect you. Our camp isn't far from here." I say, taking the water nymph's hand. She turns her sparkling grey eyes on me and I know she will say yes. The fear in them says it all.

"Let's go, Lily." She says nervously, reaching her free hand to her friend. Lily takes it hesitantly. I smile and drah them off the rock just as a large wave crashes down where we had been standing.

"Run!" I yell. The nymphs don't hesitate as they follow me, dodging between the trees and branches. How could I have been so stupid not to bring my bow? We burst through the clearing to find an arrow pointed in my face. "Nicki! It's me, Harmony!" I say frantically. She lowers the bow.

"Harmony? Why were you in the woods? And who are they?" She says, pointing to the two girls huffing besides me.

"Harmony? What's going on?" A voice rings out from her tent. The nymphs curtsy as the goddess approaches. Her hand is holding her bow tightly, her other tense and ready to reach for an arrow. A few other Hunters stick their heads out their tents.

"Well, Artemis, I was incredibly thirsty so I went to a nearby stream-"

"Don't you have water in your tent?"

"Yes, but I drank it all. At the stream, um, this nymph-"

"Crystal." The water nymph fills in, smiling at the goddess.

"Yes, Crystal warned me that Triton was coming. I got her and her friend Lily out of there before Triton came and became a danger to them." I report. Artemis sighs.

"Harmony, I told you not to go near water. You know that your father wants you. You could have asked me for water. Now these nymphs probably can't go back to their homes." She says, exasperated. I can feel the waves of disappointment rolling off of her.

"Sorry, Artemis, it won't happen again." But I know in my heart that it might. I can't resist it. Not with my thirst for water. Inside, I know that I can't live without the water and will succumb to it in time and one of the times it does happen, it will be my _I do _for my wedding.

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**OMG I just love Harmony! I have so many great plans for her! Like it's going to be so crazy(Super Pop knows what I mean)! What do you think of the nymphs? Hunter material? Next chapter will be Lilac and Thalia. I do have a question. When did Percy go missing? I know that Jason showed up three days after he disappeared, right? I just want to know when because it ties in with the story. My next question has a prize. Next chapter, Lilac will struggle with the fact that Lily looks like someone from her past. Who do you think it is? Prize: knowing my plans for Harmony, truthfully something worth knowing(: **


	3. Chapter 3

**I love Thalia's POV in this one. Lilac's is good too though. Some of you did figure out who Lily looked like(:**

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Lilac

Artemis offers for the two nymphs to be Hunters. They, of course, accept. Who wouldn't unless they were in love or something like that? I offer to share my tent. Why wouldn't I? They're nymphs, I'm a nymph. We nymphs have to stay together.

_"LAVENDER!" I scream running to the girl after destroying the monster that killed her. No, she can't be dead. He didn't kill her. Her usual pale purple skin is almost white. No blood pools are noticeable on her clothing, but by the way she gasps in pain, it's internal. She's ruptured something._

_"No, no, no, no! Not Lavender!" I wail._

_"Get up, Lilac. You have to destroy these monsters for her. Don't let her die in vain." I hear Artemis crystal clear voice next to me. Even though I can't see her, I know she is with me and is helping me. I grit my teeth together and wipe my tears away fast. I push my emotions deep down and grip my bow angrily. _

_"Don't worry, Artemis. I can handle this." I say and whip around, shooting several arrows at once into the approaching monsters. My anger rises and my strength does too and I know Artemis is fighting for me as well. Her blessing is working through me, guiding me along in a terrible time. My revenge almost consumes me as I try to destroy every last one of the monsters. For Lavender._

My memory shakes me as I look at Crystal and Lily. They watch me curiously and I push my emotions down and away. No use crying now. It's not much I can do now, seeing as Lavender is dead and it's all my fault.

"Come let's get you some new clothes." I say gesturing to their grasses dresses as we go into my tent. I pull out two white blouses ad a couple pairs of silvery camo pants out of my bag. Two pairs of combat boots appeared next to the bag. Artemis, of course, sent them. I hand it all to them and leave the tent for a moment to let them change. When I come back, both girls look completely different. Crystal looks almost battle ready and Lily looks so much like. . .Lavender. Other than her color scene. If her greens and yellows were purple, she'd be the exact copy of Lavender. I choke and force down my sobs. Lily doesn't notice, but Crystal looks at me with even more curiosity.

"One of you can take the cot. I'll take the floor." I say, setting a sleeping bag on the cot and taking another sleeping bag over to the entrance and rolling it out. I lay down, facing the entrance. I grip my bow like it's my life. Someone rolls out the other bag next to me. Soon I hear deep breathing and I turn around to see Lily on the cot and Crystal lying beside me. Lily snores and rolls over, making Crystal open her reflective grey eyes.

"Are you okay?" She whispers. I am silent for a moment.

"Yeah, it's just. . .Lily reminds me of someone." Crystal nods and smiles sadly.

"I understand." Her eyes sparkle. Then I realize that she's crying. Something probably happened to her, too. It's related to Lily, whatever it is. I smile genuinely. Something tells me that Crystal and I are going to be close friends.

* * *

Thalia

_"Jason! Where is he?"_ I screech at my mother. Her face is totally blank as I practically tear up the park looking for my brother, only to be stopped when the landscape changes and I find myself standing in a church. Lots of people I don't know gather behind me. I take a couple deep breaths. I am still panicking over Jason. A few feet from me, an open coffin lays. I approach warily. When I see who is inside, I feel like my heart is split in two. My mother lays, her hands clasped together over her heart, her makeup and hair done perfectly. She could have been sleeping if it weren't for the cut on her cheek, marring her features. I scream and choke on my tears, backing up and pushing through the strangers, trying to get out of that place. My mother can't be dead. I may usually hate her, but I will always love her.

"Mother." I choke out and I try to run, but the strangers keep pushing me back towards the coffin. Or coffins to be exact. They seem to have multiplied. Now I can see everyone. Annabeth, Percy, Artemis, all the Hunters, Lavender, Bianca, Amber, and even Jason, all grown up, have joined the mass of death. Then her voice hits me.

"_Death isn't an out for you now. You would suffer eternally in Tartarus for what you and these people did when I awaken." _Her voice seems to tear open my soul. I wipe away my tears and stand strongly.

"Who are you? I can stand my ground against any and all my enemies, just as I have done in the past." I say, surprisingly not stuttering or trembling at whatever this massive force is. Then, I find the floor moving and I struggle to stand until I fall flat on my face.

"_And what if you can't even stand on the ground? What will you do then Thalia?" _ She cackles. I scream as I wake up, drawing my bow and pointing it around. Nothing threatening shows itself in my tent. I relax my grip on my bow. A new enemy? We literally just defeated the last one. And at the cost of several Hunters. It emotionally defeated us and we are still trying to pick up the pieces.

"Thalia?" I look to the entrance of the tent to see Phoebe looking down at me, concerned. "Are you okay?" She asks.

"I'm fine. Just a dream." I grumble. Phoebe nods in sympathy. She probably knows the feeling. She is a demigod, too. A daughter of prophecies at that. She probably has loads of dreams or nightmares.

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**Phoebe and Nicki next time!(((:**


	4. Chapter 4

**This chapter is so long that I decided to have Nikki's POV next chapter.**

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Phoebe

I drag my feet as I walk back to my tent. When Thalia screamed, I rushed to her aid. I was awake anyway. I'm not getting sleep even if I try. The nightmares just keep coming back, worse and worse each time. Mostly they are about Camp Jupiter or about the Hunters. I tried to get sleep earlier but woke up frantic about protecting my family, all of them. The Hunters may be my sisters, but my mother still lives at Camp Jupiter as well as my half brother. He may as well be my real brother, considering how close I was to him. It seems like years ago when Wiley and I went on that quest. Nobody realized how much it killed me to make that choice. Join Artemis and save my family and the camp while never seeing them again or destroy them all and have a chance of seeing them in the Underworld. The sun rises as I walk back inside my tent. I pack all my stuff and collapse the tent. By the time I finish, a few of the other girls are awake and roaming the camp. Harmony sits at the empty fire pit, downing bottle after bottle of water. Lilac leaves her tent with two other girls. New Hunters I guess.

"Hi, I'm Phoebe." I say, holding out a hand. The girl with lilies woven in her hair shakes it firmly. My eyes widen when I really look at her. I look to Lilac. Lilac stares back at me and I know that she noticed it, too. She looks exactly like Lavender.

"I'm Lily." She says smiling. I smile back sadly. It's not Lavender though. I can't think like that. She will never come back. I shake the other girl's hand. Her reflective grey eyes seem to stare into my soul.

"Crystal." She says, her voice melodic. I smile. She reminds me of a friend of mine at Camp Jupiter.

"I see you've met our new Hunters." Artemis says from behind me. "Thalia!" Then huntress pops out of her tent with her bow drawn.

"Where's the monster?" She calls and turns in a full circle.

"Thalia! There is no monster! I just wanted to introduce you to our new Hunters." Artemis laughs.

"Oh." She says, straightening the tilted circlet on her head.

"My gods, why is everyone so jumpy today?" Artemis asks, gesturing for Thalia to join her. "This is Lily and Crystal."

"Hi, I'm Thalia, Artemis' lieutenant." She waves to the nymphs, who wave back awkwardly.

"Thalia? Can you gather the rest? We are going to move out soon. I have a plan of action." She says. Thalia nods and goes to the other tents, waking up who wasn't already up. What could we possibly do about Kit? I don't question the goddess, seeing as she's. . . well, a goddess. She knows what she's doing. At the Roman camp, we were taught not to question the things the gods did. They were in charge. Just then, Artemis holds her head in agony, her form flickering between her usual attire and a young woman who wore purple.

"Artemis!" I call as she collapses on the ground. I kneel next to her, all my Roman thoughts gone for now. Her flickering form stops on her regular Hunter attire. Her eyes open, tinged purple before the color faded away to silver.

"Phoebe, you have to stop thinking about it." She whispers in my ear before sitting up. The nymphs crouch next to her.

"Are you okay, my lady?" Crystal asks.

"I'm fine. Just a minor headache, that's all." Artemis says, struggling to get up. Lily offers her arm and Artemis takes it to help her to her feet.

"Are you sure?" Lily asks, helping the wobbling goddess a few steps. She gets better with every step. When she finally walks on her own, her skin isn't as pale.

"Yes, I'm fine." She rasps, pulling my arm and dragging me to her still pitched tent.

"Artemis-"

"Phoebe, you can't do that anymore. No more thinking of Camp Jupiter. You could reveal the Roman world to the Greeks. Do you realize how dangerous that is?" She rants.

"I'm sorry, Artemis. I try not to. It was just a second thought and then you were doubled over and changing forms."

"Wait a minute. I was changing forms?" Artemis asks, her skin going deathly pale.

"Yep, between what you are now and some purple toga I think." Artemis pulls at her hair in panic.

"This isn't good. This is _not_ good." She repeats, getting precariously louder, emphasizing the word not.

"My lady?" I ask, panic rising in my own chest. The goddess goes silent before turning her silver eyes to me, her thoughts running through them.

"I need to talk to Zeus. You're coming with me." She says, grabbing her bow and dragging me out to the clearing. "Thalia!" She yells. The lieutenant runs out of a tent, Dani following her.

"Yes?" She asks, looking at me confused.

"Once you're done getting the tents packed, head south. Phoebe and I will join you soon." The girls nod and freeze before running off.

"Um, my lady, what should we do about Kit?" Thalia asks, glancing to where Izzy is still crouched in front of the wounded huntress' tent. Artemis waved her hand and the tent disappears, revealing Kit in her wheelchair, looking just as surprised as the rest of us.

"Just take her along. I will figure something out." The goddess says quietly. Then she takes my arm and we flash away. Artemis lands us in front of the throne room. She fixes my hair and brushes some dirt off my sleeve.

"Need to look great for Zeus?" I grumble. Her fingers freeze, her eyes still fixated on my hair. "Artemis?" She is definitely more flustered than usual.

"I did this with Amber." She whispers, her eyes far away. My heart sinks. Of course. Amber told us all about when she became Artemis' first Hunter. She and the goddess had come to Olympus to get Zeus' permission to recruit more Hunters. She probably cleaned off Amber in this exact spot years ago.

"It's okay, Artemis. Lets just do what we came here to do." I say. She nods and the goddess has never looked so old to me. It isn't the form she's in. It's in her eyes. We go into the throne room to find the other eleven Olympians in chaos. IT's not the usual debate between them. Several gods duel, screaming about some statue. More sit around with their heads clamped between their hands. Many flicker between forms as Artemis did.

"Diana!" A voice booms. I turn to see Jupiter. The real version of him, not Zeus. Out of Roman rules, I bow. The fighting in the ranks slows as they turn to Jupiter. When I stand, Artemis is no longer the goddess I flashed to Olympus with, the girl who mourned her lieutenant just outside the throne room. It is a woman in purple that I recognize, but wish it were Artemis anyway. It's mostly the same features but she has made herself slightly older and the look on her face says it all. She was trained to be a hard core Roman. Diana, the Roman goddess, has taken the place of Artemis for now.

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**Nikki and Dani next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Nicki and Dani. Not much about what Dani is feeling this chapter. She is just kind of there to say what's happening while we find out how Nicki really feels about all of it, right now.**

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Nicki

The group trudges south. Phoebe and Artemis haven't returned and it's almost nighttime. Izzy and Dani take turns pushing Kit while Harmony bonds with Crystal. Everyone seems to like the water nymph, but personally, I find her a bit scary. It's just the way those clear eyes seem to stare into my soul. Lily walks with Lilac, giggling about something. Lily seems unfazed by Lilac's saddened look every time she looks at the nymph. None of us can get over the way Lily looks just like Lavender. Sometimes, I can barely keep myself from crying when I see her. Thalia walks near Kit, trying to keep the crippled girl's spirits up. I smile sadly at her. At least she is trying to make her feel better. I'm all too bad about emotions. Especially when it comes to helping a hopeless cause. I walk behind everyone, my guard at its ultimate highest. You can never be too sure about what's going to happen. Jewel was the best example of that. Nobody saw her as some traitor. Or course, that's what she was going for. I can't really trust anyone now. Not even the girls who walk before me. How could I when one of them could easily be on the enemy's side? I have to have my guard up at all times or I might end up like Kit, with a knife in my back. I shudder as I think about that awful moment when I saw the very demigod who I knocked out earlier, plunge a knife into one of my sisters. I shake my head to rid myself of the memory, but it's no use. The image is imprinted in my brain. I could have done something about it but it didn't work out that way. My misery that I hide about Kit's injury will always be shown in her face and in the way she sulks through the days. Add to the fact that I am lonely. In our group, we have smaller groups. Plus the solo. Me. I've felt lonely for a while now but it didn't sneak in until Lavender died and Kit got her wheelchair and Jewel betrayed us. I didn't realize that I'm more excluded from the groups because I don't relate to them. Dani was the closest but she quickly turned to the twins when it became evident that they were family. Maybe life as a Hunter wasn't all I thought it to be but I wouldn't change a single thing about the whole experience. I wouldn't change the fact that I loved all these girls and would die, take a knife, or whack a traitor for them in a heartbeat if I could.

* * *

Dani

We set up tents after a day full of hiking. There isn't much we can do seeing as our only guide is gone. I guess we could go back to Camp Half-Blood but it would be another day's journey there. Nobody really wants to go back there anyway, besides maybe Thalia. She limps around the camp for awhile, making sure everyone is alright. Her legs are probably still stiff from a statue of Hera crushing them. After about ten minutes into dinner, a crash sounds in the trees near the camp. The entire group, excluding Kit, jumps to their feet, bows drawn. Two figures stumble into camp.

"Phoebe?" Thalia calls to the huntress and in return, she collapses. The girl with her catches her. I'm surprised that girl could even hold Phoebe. She's tiny and her blue eyes flash with so many emotions. Most of them fury and fierceness. Her hair is platinum blonde and almost reaches her waist. We rush to Phoebe. Nicki lifts the Hunter from the petite girl.

"What's wrong with her?" I demand weakly.

"It must have been the gods. It was all too much for her to see so many powerful being tearing themselves apart before her eyes." She tries to explain but it makes no sense. Then she holds out her hand. "I'm Elsa by the way."

"Um, hi." Thalia says quickly, ignoring her outstretched hand as she inspects Phoebe. "Phoebe! Come on, girl, I need you to wake up!" Thalia practically yells in the Hunter's ear. Phoebe's eyes flicker open and focus on Thalia.

"I'm awake, no need to yell." She rasps, struggling to stand up. Her eyes are bloodshot. The three nymphs stand by the campfire, watching as Izzy allows Phoebe to lean on her shoulder as they go into one of the tents. Elsa goes to stand by the nymphs as Thalia, Nicki, and I follow Phoebe and Izzy into the tents.

"Please guard here, Nicki." Thalia orders as we start to enter the tent. The girl flinches as she stops at the entrance. As I pass her into the tent, I can almost swear I see a flicker of resentment, pain, in her eyes but it's gone so quickly and returns to her emotionless state that I must have imagined it. Inside the tent, Phoebe breathes fast, sitting up straight on the cot. I immediately assume she's hyperventilating.

"It's okay, Phoebs, calm down." I say as soothingly as possible. I sit down next to her and rub her back. Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to formulate words.

"It's alright, Phoebe. Say whatever you need to say." Thalia says, kneeling in front of her. Izzy dampens a washcloth and presses it to Phoebe's forehead. She relaxes, sighing at its relief.

"Thalia, it was terrible. After Artemis brought me to Olympus. . ." She trails off, gasping as if she almost gave away her biggest secret.

"You can tell us." I reassure her. Her forehead crinkles under the cloth.

"There's something terrible going on at Olympus. They closed it down right after Di-I mean Artemis arrived. Elsa was already there. Artemis randomly made Elsa a Hunter, something about having a past with the girl." Phoebe starts to pant as she recounts the story. Her words start to blur ever so slightly, some of them barely making sense. "This was in the throne room, in the middle of this huge fight between the gods. Everything was chaos. Then J-Zeus announced Olympus was closed and sent us both back here." She takes a deep breath and a deep gulp of water from the glass that Izzy hands her.

"So, Elsa is one of us?" Thalai asks and Phoebe nods.

"Yes, she is also my sister." Another daughter of Apollo, hopefully a great healer and tracker like her half sister.

"And it also means that if Olympus is really closed, we have no Artemis, no leader."

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**Crystal and Elsa's POV next time. Find out the reason Artemis made Elsa a Hunter and part of her story(:**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry, I know it's been awhile but I've been SO BUSY! It's crazy because seriously, I haven't had time to read on my own for a least a month. Tests, projects, band trips, karate tournaments, and birthdays. . .that's been my month so far. Good thing is that it is spring break and I'm finally a year older!(:**

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Crystal

Elsa is very. . . perky. She seems really nice and energetic, but underneath, I can see barely contained anger. Something happened to make her like this. I take a protective step towards Lily. I don't trust her. Lilac watches the girl, intrigued.

"Are you from camp?" She asks slowly, carefully choosing her words.

"Kind of. I just arrived there a few days ago and immediately was sent away to Olympus to help Annabeth Chase, you know the Olympian architect. Anyways she needed help for a temple of Apollo and I was his only kid that want to help." Elsa says quickly, moving her hands a lot when she spoke.

"Why are you here?" Lilac continues. Elsa smiles sadly.

"I wandered away from Annabeth and stumbled into the throne room, but it was in chaos. When Artemis arrived, the fighting ceased for a moment when she asked me to go with Phoebe and join the Hunters because my tracking skills were needed. I was made a Hunter. I've know Artemis for years and I promised her a long time ago that if she needed anything, I was the girl she could go to. Now, here I am to help the Hunters." Elsa finishes, smiling at us. All of us are silent a moment and before we can say anything, Thalia and the others rush out of Phoebe's tent.

"Artemis is stuck on Olympus because it is closed." She announces. Lily and Lilac gasp, but I am not surprised for some reason. Elsa made it sound like we wouldn't be seeing Artemis for a long time. "Now, everyone, get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow." She says quickly, clapping her hands together. We grumble as we go to our tents. Lilac offers her tent for s again, seeing as we haven;t gotten out own yet, and Elsa goes with Thalia. I like Lilac, she reminds me of myself. She also becomes really sad when she sees Lily. Lily reminds me of a friend I had long ago. I used to live down the stream at a small pond. Three other plants used to hang out there. I would sit with them some days, but they were more of their own group, plant nymphs. I was different from them. Then I discovered Lily down the stream. We became and she didn't discriminate me because she was a plant nymph and I wasn't. Lily looked just like one of the girls, Lavender. I remember a heat wave came and killed off a bunch of plants. I didn't know what happened to Lavender because I haven't seen her since. Her lavender farm still blooms though, so I figured she moved around her plot like I had when her friends died. I had saved Lily by swelling my banks just a bit to water her plants but the willow tree and the rose plants died. I lay on the floor next to Lilac. This is my opportunity to ask.

"Lilac?" She rolls over to face me.

"Mmhmm?" She mumbles.

"Who does Lily look like?" Her face twists and her eyes snap open and away from sleep.

"We used to have another Hunter, another nymph. She died in my arms during the battle against Kronos. Did you hear about that?" I nod. Of course i did. How could you miss the second Titan War?

"Was she your best friend?" I whisper. Lilac squeezes her eyes shut.

"In a way. I didn't realize how much I loved her, or any of the Hunters, until that moment when the Cyclops swung. . ." She chokes out but she can't speak any more. I hold her as she sobs silently.

"It's going to be okay." I whisper. SHe shakes her head frantically.

"No, It won't because it's my fault! It's my fault Lavender died!" I gasp uncontrollably. Lavender was dead? Water trickles down my cheek. No. It's like what Lilac said. I didn't realize how much I loved and miss those nymphs who sat at my pond.

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**Please review! I seriously want to know how well I've done(:**


	7. Chapter 7

**So I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Any Apollo kids mentioned were in the book(besides Elsa of course). I really like Elsa's back story that I came up with ad I hope you do too(:**

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Elsa

I lay there for a long time after Thalia fell asleep. So what if my story to the nymphs was a lie, I didn't go with Annabeth to Olympus. At least I told them partially the truth. That I had known Artemis for a good long while now. That I would jump into action for her whenever she asked. I owed her my life.

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Three years ago

I finger my bead necklace as I wait for the hellhound to come my way. I know it will, it's tracking patterns said it was going west, in a straight line that would pass by my tree. I also have it a trail to follow. My own scent. I slide an arrow from my quiver and aim at the shrubs toy left. Any moment now. Just as the black about pushes through the shrubbery, I shoot. It explodes in a cloud of black dust.

"Nice job." I smile at my brother, Lee Fletcher. Not many knew he was my real brother. Same dad and mom. Just, I didn't take my mom's name. In fact, I don't have a last name at all. Elsa is good enough for me.

"Thanks." I jump down from my perch in the tree and we walk back to camp. Only when we cross the border do I relax.

"How long had you been out there?" Lee asks. I shrug.

"A couple hours maybe." I say. When I'm tracking or even hunting, I lose track of time.

"Well, it's time for dinner now." I nod and resist telling him that I already knew that. Maybe it's because I've been at Camp Half-blood for most of my life. I'm one of the few campers who stay year round. Annabeth Chase may have been here since she was seven, almost seven years ago, but I have been here longer. Since I was two. My mother had me when Lee was six and died when I was two. A satyr saved Lee all those years ago from a monster and told him that he needed to go to camp, but Lee wouldn't leave without me. As an eight year old without a mother or a present father, he knew he had to keep what was left of his family close. When we got to Camp, Chiron took us both in and practically raised us. So I've been here for twelve years. We walk into the pavilion and slide into one of the tables.

"You going to help with the sig along tonight?" Kayla giggles beside me. I swear that girl could be a daughter of Aphrodite considering how much she giggles but her voice could tell you otherwise. She is an amazing singer, one of the best from the Apollo cabin. Adding to her deadly shot that couldn't possibly be the love goddess guiding her.

"I think I'm going straight to bed after this, I'm extremely tired. Why don't you ask Lee?" I say as cheery as possible. Kayla nods and asks Lee around me. After Chiron makes his announcements, we sacrifice some food and eat. I head back to the Apollo cabin as the rest of the camp goes to the amphitheater. I swing by the cabin, grab my bow and quiver, and leave the camp borders. Sometimes, I can barely stand it in there. I've been in camp for twelve years aside from a few quests. Why can't I go somewhere else for awhile? Somewhere new. My thoughts are wandering so wildly that I do not see the hydra until the last second. It spits poison and I bend backwards so I don't get hit and immediately roll away. I barely have a grip on my bow as it comes for me again. No time to shoot. I know in my mind that I'm going to die but at the last minut e, several arrows sprout out of several of the heads. It explodes into dust as it starts to look like a porcupine. I am stunned as I lay on the ground, not moving. Then a girl who couldn't be older than me helps me to my feet. She wears a circlet on her head and has those ever-changing eyes that I've often seen in the children of Aphrodite. The love goddess had a kid who could shoot? Maybe I was wrong about Kayla.

"Are you alright?" She asks. That's when I notice two other girls behind her. One has purple tinted skin and the other looks like a goddess. All three seem to glow silver.

"Yes." I sputter out. "Thank you." The girl who looks like a goddess smiles warmly.

"Girls, let me talk to her." The girl with the circlet and the purple girl nod and disappear into the forest. "Elsa, is that your name?" She asks and I nod.

"You're Artemis?" The goddess nods. I give her an awkward bow.

"No need for that." Artemis laughs. Then her eyes turn to me, almost quizzedly like those children of Athena, only Artemis' are silver. "You look like you would be very talented with that bow." She muses.

"Yes I have one of the straightest shots in camp besides some of my sibling and I can track and heal sometimes." I blab out to her. She smiles, her white teeth sparkling.

"How would you like to be a Hunter?" I already know what they are. Some came to camp a little while back when Artemis went on some mission. But something was holding me back. A little voice is telling me that now is not the time even though I do want to join. Artemis' face twists as if she heard it.

"I don't think now is my time to leave camp." But the goddess is already nodding in agreement.

"That doesn't mean you can't be a Hunter while you defend your home. Why not be a Hunter while staying here until I need you?" I nod. It seems right. Now I have limited time with my family at camp as I wonder, what day will Artemis call me to her side?

I sit with a start. Why was I being reminds of my part in a dream? I made that choice years ago and why should it affect me badly now? Lee is dead. Kayla has become withdrawn. Michael is gone. Will doesn't allow us to do anything that is riskful. Life is miserable at camp after the war. They tried to be happy but we all knew it wasn't the same. It was annoying that everything became focused on Percy Jackson alongwith the fact that one of those Aphrodite boys kept hitting on me, even though I tried to be as vicious and as unappeasing as possible. I finally reject him by taking a knife and slicing off all his hair. It taught him to stay away from me. It will be better with the Hunters. I've been waiting years to do this. It is my destiny. I just have one thing to worry about now. The fact that times are changing. Something was not right on Olympus. The gods aren't supposed to be changing sith their Roman dos and why didnt Phoebe tell Thalia about the Romans? I won't saw anything until she does, but I do need to confront her about it. Sometime soon.

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**So what did you think?(: I really wanted to make up for not updating so here is another chapter^. Please review!(: also if it would trouble any of you, I just posted a new story. It's just a prologue of what I have and I really want to knew how it is because I'm going to send it in as an application for my school magazine. It would mean a lot of you reviewed on that story(:**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's a whole chapter for Nicki. I had something planned for her, but I haven't gotten to writing it until now. Here you go(:**

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Nicki

_"Mother? Mother, what's going on?" I call out. I am standing in a scorching desert, sand surrounding me, the sun beating on my back. Thunder seems to sound around but there are no clouds. I throw myself to the ground as a bomb explodes near by._

_"Nicki!" A scream rings out over the thunder. I scramble to my feet. I am wearing my school uniform. It's been years since I've worn it. It was back when we lived on the east coast, in Samuele._

_"Mother! Where are you?" My voice! It's weird sounding so young again._

_"I'm over here, child." I turn around to see my mother, completely different from how she left me. Instead of her simple outfits, she wears camouflage, from head to toe. Her skin is tinged red from endless days in the sun. In her hands, she grips a gun._

_"Momma?" I whisper, trying to step away from her, but somehow, I get closer. When I am a few yards away, another bomb explodes a little ways behind my mom. She doesn't even flinch at the noise or the shaking earth. She just stands there, looking at me with a grimace on her face._

_"Run now, darling, run." She says in a monotone voice. I watch in horror as the yellow gas from the explosion thickens and starts drifting towards u. I can't leave her. I try to run to her, try to grab her arm, but it's like she's not even there. Like a mirage._

_"Mother! Please come with me!" I scream out, but she just shakes her head, pushing me off her and away from the gas. I start to run, terrifying thoughts entering my head. My feet start to slip through the sand as I run, but I don't get any farther from the gas. When I look back, I see my mother just in time for her to be engulfed in gas and fall to the ground, withering. I scream as I fall to the ground, a voice resonating from it._

_"Don't worry, huntress. It's not your time now, but it will be soon," A women's voice cackles. I scream as the gas seems to pierce my body with a thousand needles._

"Wake up, Nicki!" Someone is shaking my shoulders, jarring my sore muscles. I open my eyes to see Thalia and Elsa staring down at me.

"I-I'm fine." I stutter and Thalia nods. Elsa looks at me like I am a freak.

"Are you sure?" Thalia's blue eyes flash with concern.

"Yes, I think I'm going to take a walk." Both Hunters back up as I drag myself out of the tent and leave the camp. I haven't gotten much good sleep in weeks. Too many nightmares, but this one is different. My mother went off to war right after dropping me off at Camp Half-Blood when I was twelve. I haven't seen her since. What if she died? I shake my head. No, It's not possible. My mother is strong and she couldn't possibly let some war kill her. She is, after all, an ancestor of Atalanta. I nearly run into a sign at the edge of the tree line as it starts to get lighter outside. It's on the edge of the highway. I look up at the white letters gleaming against the green back round and gasp. It's my home town, Samuele. How did I get here? A glossy red convertible stops by me. A man with sunglasses and a biker's jacket turns his head to look at me. He has a grimace on his face, his hand every now and then lightly touching his head as if he had a headache.

"Nicki-" The man starts.

"You're Ares." I say. The war god nods in confirmation.

"Come on in, Nicki, I need to show you something." He points to the other seat in his sports car. I get in, strapping in my seat belt just as we speed towards town. I watch as my old house, school, and church go by. I smile when I see some of my old classmates walking down the street. I almost wave at them. We finally stop at the cemetery.

"Please, tell me what we're doing here." I say with a warning tone. Ares just gets out of the car, weirdly enough, in a black suit. I get out and realize I am wearing a black dress. It touches my knees and thick straps go over my shoulders. I still wear my combat boots though and my bow and quiver are stick still strung across my back.

"Just follow me." He says in a gravelly voice, holding his head again. I blink back my tears. What is going on? It can't be what I think it is. I follow him through the paths between the tombstones. We finally stop at a small smooth white one. I drop to my knees in front of it.

"It can't be." I whisper, touching the letters that spell out her name.

"Your mother was a strong women, kiddo. If it was at all possible, she would've breathed that mustard gas like it was air." My breaths come short. The dream. My mother died like that in my dream. I refuse to let myself cry. I touch the tombstone once more before standing, trying to look strong in front of my father.

"Nicki, is that you?" I jump in surprise as I see a boy standing behind the stone.

"Justin?" My eyes widen when I see him. What is he doing here? His brown eyes sparkle as he runs up to me, picking me up and spinning me around.

"It's really you!" He yells out, putting me down again. I just stand there in shock. He looks just like I left him; crazy born hair, t-shirt, smile. He looks just like his twelve year old self except. . .older, more mature. He is sixteen after all. I glace over to where Ares stood. He is no longer there. He left me alone with my ex best friend.

"Justin?" I repeat, my whole body tense and ready to grab my bow and an arrow. It couldn't possibly be Justin. Then, I realize I'm wearing my Hunter clothes again.

"I was here to visit my mom. You should back to town with me! We could see all your old friends, they should be at the diner about now. Lets go! I can't wait to see their faces." He grabs my hand and drags me out of the cemetery.

"What are you doing?" I squeal as he pulls me down the sidewalk. He stops and turns to me.

"I guess you can walk yourself. Where have you been and what are you wearing?" He glances down at the bow in my hands.

"I've joined a special group that I need to get back to. I can't go with you to the diner." I say and immediately the blood rushes from Justin's face, his hand running through his hair.

"What kind of group?" He whispers to me. I scowl at him. Why does it matter?

"Why do you ask?" Justin squeezes his eyes shut at my response.

"It's the Hunters, isn't it?" My eyes open wide. "I'm what some people might call a demigod and I know you are, too." That's a shocker.

"What?" I whisper, not sure what is happening. During my short time at camp, I never saw Justin.

"My father is Hephaestus. I left a little while after you did for camp. You weren't there when I arrived." He pouted but I didn't laugh like I normally would. I'm still thoroughly shocked.

"I am with the Hunters." I confirm a little belated. Justin's eyes look down at the ground sadly. "But I can go with you to the diner for a little while." He smiles and takes my hand, leading me there. I don't tell him what I have been thinking since Manhattan. That I don't know how much longer I might be with the Hunters.

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**Dreams, boys, and Ares, OH MY! What is Nicki talking about, leaving the Hunters? I knew she was feeling a bit down and alone but so much to leave the Hunters? Does she like Justin? Were they more than just best friends? And now that her mother is dead, she doesn't have many places to go besides maybe camp. And what's up with her being at camp for so little time? Did Clarrise and Chiron scare her off? I'm starting to feel like this is a major drama XD. Lots of problems with all the Hunters...and this all started out as just a story about Artemis but it has come to envelope so much more. I haven't done Artemis' POV since the first chapter. Maybe I should do her POV up in Olympus and the struggle she and the other Olympians have to get down to the mortal world? I think Kit and Thalia are next(:**


	9. Chapter 9

**Kit and Thalia this time, Phoebe next. Haven't seen much about Kit in a while. Also, in all my stories, I don't know if you have noticed, but some words may be missing letters or have mispellings. They are caused by my stupid keyboard, it has sticky keys! Sorry for that, I should probably use the family computer, but my brothers are always on it :P**

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Kit

"I haven't seen her since this morning. She went on a walk before dawn and she hasn't returned." Thalia explains to the group of hunters. I sit a few feet away in my chair, watching as the lieutenant puts the Hunters into several groups. I watch as pairs of two leave the site, all except for Izzy, who agreed to stay with me. She sits at the fire pit, staring onto the forest with her back turned to me. I done say a word. She doesn't move. We stay like that for a while. Izzy seems much more agitated that I've ever seen her. Her hair is a mess, her clothes dirty and torn, her limbs constantly moving.

"You can go look for Nicki, too. I'll be fine here." Izzy finally turns around.

"No, someone or something could take you." She narrows her eyes.

"No, I'd be fine. You don't need to baby me. I have a bow, too." My voice slowly rises. What is up with her?

"Kit. I am staying here whether you like it or not." She turns around with a irritated sigh. That sound just made me pop. All my frustrations since the injury bubble over.

"When will you ever leave me alone?!" I yell. "I swear I haven't had my peace since the injury, you haven't let me out of your sight and it's not like I can get away from it." Izzy turns around with wide eyes. "You're just going to torture me more by sitting there, trying to protect me from some force that might take me away even though I can obviously take care of it. You weren't like that before the injury. What makes this any different?" Her mouth hangs open in surprise.

"You're more vulnerable like this." I press my lips together in anger.

"You're wrong! I'm just like I was before. I'm still me! I'm just a little restricted right now. I can hide my emotions and that makes me less vulnerable. I hide the fact that I'm miserable with you acting like Mother, trying to protect me from the world when I'm more than capable of protecting myself!" Izzy closes her eyes, a painful expression on her face.

"Mother would have sent you home by now." She says, the word's coming out as if she picked each one individually before saying it. "She would have made you stay home from the fight, from the Hunt, and left you there as she continued the adventure." I stare into her eyes.

"You're right. Maybe I was wrong about you being like Mother." Izzy smiles sadly.

"No, Kit, you were spot on. I think I will send you home. I can't have you be in pain and misery anymore, watching the Hunters do things you physically can't do." A tear falls down my cheek. No. She can't be doing this. Izzy stands and starts to walk toward me. I wheel myself backward, away from her.

"You stay away from me." I growl. Izzy continues toward me at a slower pace. I wheel backward faster before turning and going into my tent as quickly as my arms could take me. Then I sit there, staring at the back of my tent. What just happened? What is wrong with me? I cant fight with my sister? My head collapses in my hands as I start to sob. What am I going to do?

Thalia

Harmony trudges on beside me. She seems to almost constantly take drinks from her water bottle.

"Are you alright?" She nods and continues to drink. We are walking along the edge of the forest next to the shore. fishing boats are lined up at a dock in the distance. We haven't seen anything that tells us where Nicki is yet.

"I'm just a little dehydrated."

"You've seemed like that for the last few days." I remark, my eyebrows raised.

"I'm a water demigod. My dehydration lasts longer." She almost sounds like shes convincing herself. Harmony looks out at the water, a look on her face I've held often myself when I see a plate of food. _Desire_. She wants more than anything to jump into the water and swim around for a while.

"Why don't you jump in?" I ask. Harmony grimaces and looks down at her feets, stopping on the trail.

"Artemis told me never to touch the water, that my father could find me. I can't even go to streams or ponds without him coming for me. What makes you think he 'notice that I'm here the moment I dip a toe in?" I shrug. I really don't know. I pat her shoulder.

"It'll be alright. Someday you will be able to jump in and live like you want to." She smiles as me as we slowly start to walk forward. Then she stops again.

"You think I'd be alright if I stuck my feet in for a moment? Then we'll run." Harmony grins with her usual sense of adventure.

"If you think you'll be okay." Her smile brightens my mood as she strips of her combat shoes, handing them and her socks to me. She walks out onto the shore, far enough that just her feet are submerged in the waves the come. She sighs, laughing as the water cools off her feet.

"This is amazing!" She calls out. I smile as she turns to come back. She giggles and starts to run bad when she falls flat on her face. The blood rushes from my face when I see the green hand gripping her right leg. Harmony screams as its starts to drag her back into the water.

"Harmony!" I throw a shoe in attempt to help. It hits the man dragging her in. He glares at me as the other shoe clinks off his head.

"Thalia! Help!" Harmony screams, trying everything too keep from going in. Her fingers claw the sand and the waves seem to be attempting to pull the merman off her. Nothing seems to work. The small white clouds above us grow and darken, gathering directly over us. I curse as I realize, I can't strike Triton with lightning. I might hit Harmony. I run towards the water, grabbing for her hand as he pulls her under. I hold on for as long as I can. Soon I'm submerged and holding my breath. It's only a matter of time before I drown, seeing as I am a child of the sky. I open my eyes painfully in the water to see Harmony in full panic mode, watching me in fear. I scream, losing all my air as she pries my fingers loose from her hand and make the air currents push me to the surface. I reach it, coughing up water and wailing, trying to find the demigod down below the surface. I can't see anything.

"Please, no, not Harmony!" I scream, looking below. Lightning flashes above and rain proceeds to pound the water around me. The waves force me back to the shore. I kneel on my knees for a while in the wet sand, looking out into the ocean. She has to be there somewhere. And I know one person who can help me. As soon as we find Nicki, we are heading straight to Camp Half-Blood. I need to have a talk with that seaweed brain Percy Jackson. Surely the son of Poseidon would know where Harmony might be.

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**What did ya think? Harmony's gone and Thalia needs Seaweed Brain's help, but his cabin at camp is currently...vacant. What is going to happen to Kit? What about Harmony? Gotta go do dishes, I will do another update as soon as possible(:**


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